weimar germany Flashcards
how many casualties did WWI claim in germany
They had a high casualty rate with approximately two million dead soldiers.
❖Some 600,000 women were left as widows.
❖The war also took its toll on civilians, with approximately 763,000 people dying from starvation.
❖The gap between rich and poor had grown as a result of the war and increased social divisions.
❖Over 1 and a half million soldiers returned home following the war, many struggling to adapt back to civilian life and accept defeat.
germanys economy after WWI
By 1918, industrial production was reduced by a third from 1913 levels.
❖Fuel was short as a result of the war and consequently 300,000 people died from hypothermia.
❖The government’s budget was stretched by paying pensions to the 600,000 widows and 2 million orphans left after the war.
❖Germany’s debt was 50 billion German marks in 1914. This rapidly increased to 150 billion by 1918.
❖Germany was bankrupt as it had spent all its gold reserves on the war.
❖Inflation increased as a result of the weak German mark so the prices of goods were increasing.
❖Germany was forced to begin interim payments to the Allies immediately after armistice was signed.
consequences of the german revolution before the end of WWI
The kaiser abdicated.
❖Germany became a republic.
❖This led to the end of the First World War.
what caused the german revolution
The German revolution happened due to the economic problems of the war, war weariness and food shortages.
when did the weimar republic exist
1919-1933
weimar republic constitutional strengths
There were 5 key strengths of the new constitution which prevented any one person or group gaining too much power:
❖All Germans aged 21 and over, men and women, were allowed to vote so it was very democratic.
❖The Reichstag was elected using proportional representation which meant a party was given a certain number of seats according to how many votes it gained in the election. This was considered fairer for smaller parties.
❖The constitution was written in such a way that the power of one person or institution would be limited and therefore, they would not have too much power.
❖The chancellor introduced new laws, but they only became laws if the majority of the Reichstag and Reichsrat voted for them.
❖The Reichstag had more power but the Reichsrat could delay passing laws.
weimer republic constitutinal weaknesses
Proportional representation often meant no single party won enough seats to form a government on its own, so several parties had to form a coalition governments which often fell apart.
❖Article 48 of the constitution gave the president the power to take emergency measures, by-passing the Reichstag. This could effectively create another dictatorship, in all but name.
❖Many judges and civil servants did not want the Weimar Republic and so did not fully support it.
❖The leaders of the army wanted the kaiser back and did not support the Weimar Republic.
Why was the Kaiser abdicted from his role in 1918?
The British Empire, France and the USA had offered Germany peace that included him abdicting his throne. He originally refused but the country turned in him and he was forced to abdict.
Who were the Spartacist’s?
A left wing group who were communists led by Liebknecht and Luxembourg who wanted a Germany by workers council
What was the Spartacist uprising and what were the results?
In 1919, the Spartacists set up Soviets to try to win power but some anti-communist former soldiers had formed a group called the Freikorps who agreed to fight after an agreement with President Ebert. Luxembourg and Liebknecht were both murdered
What led the Kapp Putsch to happen?
The right wing parties deeply resented the treaty of versailles and opposed to the new democracy. They looked back fondly at the rule of the Kaiser
What was the Kapp Putsch?
In March 1920, Dr Wolfgang Kapp led 5000 Freikorps into Berlin planning to overthrow the Weimar republic and to make it more of an authorisation system
What happened in the Kapp Putsch?
It was looking bad for Ebert’s government as his army refused to fire at the Freikorps. However, Evert was saved by the German people who declared a general strike and refused to co-operate with Kapp leading to him fleeing the country
What were the causes of hyperinflation?
Due to the government having no goods to trade, it began to print more money to pay off debts to Germans who had loaned money to the Government during the war and which led to prices and wages rocketing
How did the Weimar Republic react to the Spartacist Revolt?
❖The government needed military support. However, the German Army, the Reichswehr, was too weak, so Ebert ordered it to use the Freikorps, ex-soldiers who had kept their weapons from the First World War.
❖The Freikorps were used by the government to crush the Spartacist Revolt. By March 1919, there were approximately 250,000 members of the Freikorps. They were very right-wing and hated the communists.
❖The Freikorps arrested and brutally murdered Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg on 16th January, 1919. Several thousand communist supporters were arrested and killed during the uprising.
Why was the Spartacist Revolt important?
❖It showed that the Weimar Republic was weak and unpopular.
❖It gave the Freikorps a lot of power as they were allowed by the government to attack and kill the Spartacists without being arrested themselves.
❖The Weimar Republic survived and the German Army had supported it when it was needed.
why did the kapp putsch occur
❖A group of anti-communist ex-soldiers called the Freikorps had grown by 1920 and President Ebert could not control them. In March 1920, the Weimar government announced the Freikorps would be disbanded.
❖The leaders of the putsch wanted to take over the country, make the army strong again and then recover the lands Germany had lost in the Treaty of Versailles. They wanted their empire once again.
❖They deeply resented the Treaty of Versailles for their crippled economy.
❖Some wanted the kaiser to return from exile.
german recation to kapp putsch
❖The government fled to Dresden as Berlin was under the control of the rebels.
❖They asked the public to go on strike which stopped gas, electricity, water and transport services.
❖The rebels fled after realising they could not govern the country.
❖Kapp was captured in April 1922 when he returned to Germany from Sweden, but died while waiting to be put on trial.
when was the ruhr occupation
11th January, 1923 and 25th August, 1925.
actions taken during ruhr occupation
❖Sent in 60,000 French and Belgian soldiers.
❖Took over factories, mines and railways.
❖Took food and goods.
❖Arrested Germans and 100 Germans were killed.
❖Threw 15,000 Germans out of their homes.
❖They forced over 100,000 protesters to leave the area.
german response to ruhr occupation
❖The German government ordered its workers in the Ruhr to not fight back.
❖Instead, the German workers used passive resistance. They went on strike. They would not help the French or Belgium troops remove coal or manufactured goods from the Ruhr.
❖France and Belgium brought in their own workers to take their place.
❖The government’s halting of production of the largest industrial region in Germany, crippled the country’s economy.
consequences of ruhr occupation
❖The Weimar Republic responded by printing more money to pay the reparations bill and the striking Ruhr workers.
❖Printing money led to hyperinflation where money became worthless and the price of goods drastically increased. For example, the price of bread in the summer of 1923 was 1,200 marks but by November 1923 it was 428 billion marks!
❖It was one of the causes of the Nazi Munich Beer Hall Putsch, 1923.
❖The Dawes Plan, 1924 brought about the end of the hyperinflation problem and Ruhr occupation.
7 main economic consequences of hyperinflation
With prices rising by the hour, people began to buy goods as soon as they were paid. A loaf of bread in 1922 cost 200 marks. By 1923 it cost 200,000 million marks.
❖Many people used a barter system and traded items instead of paying with money to get around the problems of hyperinflation.
❖As money became worthless, those with savings lost their money. This especially affected the middle classes.
❖People used the money in other ways, such as burning it for fuel. Children would also play with it, while some even made dresses from it!
❖People on fixed incomes could not renegotiate their earnings and the elderly on fixed pensions received no increases. This meant their incomes became almost worthless.
❖Many small business owners went bankrupt.
❖Foreign businesses would not accept the worthless currency which led to shortages of imported goods.
benefits of hyperinflation
❖Those with debts found it easier to pay off what they owed.
❖Farmers benefitted from the increase in food prices because people were paying more for food.
❖Foreign visitors benefitted. They could buy more with their money because they could exchange their currency for more German marks. This made the people very angry.
solution of hyperinflation
❖Stresemann, as chancellor, replaced the worthless currency with a temporary one called the Rentenmark in October 1924.
❖Eventually the Rentenmark became the new Reichsmark in 1924. This was a stable currency that remained for the next 25 years.
❖Stresemann, as foreign secretary, signed the Dawes Plan in 1924 which organised American loans to German banks and businesses and temporarily lowered annual reparation payments to help the German economy recover.
how successful was the solution to hyperinflation
❖People accepted the new currency and hyperinflation ended.
❖The Dawes Plan, 1924 helped to restore economic stability.
in what ways did the solution fail
❖People who lost savings, mainly the middle classes, never received their money back and they blamed the Weimar Republic for this.
❖People who had suffered during the hyperinflation crisis were bitter about their experience and blamed the Weimar Republic.
❖One of the reasons the Nazi Party organised the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 was because of the hyperinflation crisis.
what was the dawes plan
The Dawes Plan was an agreement between the USA and Weimar Germany which helped to solve Germany’s problems in paying reparations, negotiated in April 1924 and signed in October 1924.
who created the dawes plan
The Dawes Plan was created by American banker, Charles G Dawes, along with Gustav Stresemann.
what was agreed in the dawes plan
❖A temporary reduction in the annual reparations repayments to £50 million.
❖US banks and businesses offered loans worth 800 million marks to German industries and businesses.
❖The German State Bank, the Reichsbank, should be reorganised and supervised by the Allies.
benefits of the dawes plan
❖American loans helped industrial output to double between 1923 and 1928. Employment, income tax and trade all increased as a result.
❖The French and Belgians left the Ruhr as they were promised that they would receive reparations as result of the Dawes Plan.
❖The Weimar Republic became politically stronger as the economy improved.
criticism of the dawes plan
❖In the short-term, both the extreme left-wing and extreme right-wing political parties were angry Germany was still paying reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.
❖In the long term, because the Weimar economy was dependent on US loans, Germany could be economically damaged if these were suddenly recalled.
what was the Locanro pact
The Locarno Pact was a treaty intended to improve the relationship between Germany, Belgium and France by protecting their borders, december 1925, signed by Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, Italy
why was the locarno pact signed
gustav stresemannn wanted to prevent them being invaded again after the french and beligian occupation of the ruhr in 1923
terms of locarno pact
❖Germany accepted its new borders with France
❖Germany accepted its new borders with Belgium
❖If there was a border dispute between Germany and France or Germany and Belgium, Britain and Italy would step in as guarantors to solve the problems.
❖The five countries agreed to discuss Germany’s membership of the League of Nations.
❖Rhineland would be permanently demilitarised.
benefits of locarno pact
❖War was less likely
❖Germany was treated like an equal, rather than the loser of the First World War.
❖It improved the reputation of the Weimar government and increased support for the moderate political parties.
❖It paved the way for Germany to join the League of Nations.
criticisms of the locarno pact
The drawback of the Locarno Pact was that extremist political parties hated it, primarily because it confirmed the borders laid out in the detested Treaty of Versailles.
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was a promise by countries who signed it not to use war to achieve their foreign policy aims, signed august 1928, agreement between 62 nations. Organised by US foreign minister, Kellogg and the french foreign minister, Briand
What were the benefits for Germany of signing the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
❖It showed that moderate political parties could build Germany’s international strength and standing.
❖It improved the reputation of the Weimar Republic.
❖Germany was now being included as one of the world’s main powers.
Was there any negative reaction to the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
There were also some negative reactions. For example, not all Germans supported the Kellogg-Briand Pact because it didn’t remove the restrictions placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.
young plan
-The Young Plan was another deal that aimed to help Germany pay the reparations bill, signed august 1929, cretaed by american banker, Owen Young
-stated germany would have 59 years to pay reperations bill, which was reduced from 6.6 billion to 2 billion
benefits of young plan
❖The lower reparations payments meant the Weimar government could in turn reduce taxes, giving people more money to spend or save.
❖It helped them recover economically.
❖It increased confidence politically.
criticisms of the young plan
-The reparations payment was still high at £50 million per year.
-The extreme political parties were furious that reparations had not been cancelled. Hitler commented that extending payments over 59 years was “passing the penalty onto the unborn.”
What evidence is there to suggest that the Weimar Republic did recover between 1924 and 1929?
❖The temporary currency, the Rentenmark, replaced the worthless German Mark and gradually restored confidence.
❖There was greater political stability. The moderate Social Democrats Party won the most votes in general elections. There was greater backing for the political parties that supported the Weimar Republic.
❖Support for the extreme political parties decreased as support for the moderate parties increased. The Nazi Party only won 12 seats in the May 1928 elections.
❖The German economy improved with the loans from the US. Businesses were able to pay off their debts and industrial production grew between 1923 and 1929.
❖Gustav Stresemann was greatly praised for his policies and many felt the recovery was due to his leadership.
❖The wages of industrial workers increased by 25% and there were fewer strikes, suggesting workers were happier.
❖By 1928, industrial production had recovered and reached pre-war levels.
❖By 1930, Germany was one of leading exporters of manufactured goods.
❖Greater economic prosperity led to an explosion of culture. This became known as the “Golden Age”.
